482. Then I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey. (10:10) But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. This symbolically means that so it came to pass, and thus it was shown, how this doctrine would be received before those people meant by the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet were removed.

Because this follows as a consequence from the aforesaid, it needs no further exposition.

We read that the prophet Ezekiel, too, was commanded to eat the scroll of a book, and that it was in his mouth as sweet as honey (Ezekiel 2:8-10; 3:1-3).

544. Who would shepherd all nations with a rod of iron. This symbolizes doctrine which by truths drawn from the literal sense of the Word, together with rational arguments in accord with people's natural sight, will convince all those willing to be convinced whose worship is a lifeless worship owing to their divorcing faith from charity.

This refers to the doctrine of the New Church, because it is said about the male child, which symbolizes that doctrine (no. 543). To shepherd means, symbolically, to teach and instruct (no. 383), here to convince those people who are willing to be convinced. Nations symbolize people caught up in evil practices (no. 483), here people engaged in dead worship in consequence of their divorcing faith from charity, because these are the subject here, and they are caught up in evil practices. For when charity is set aside, no goodness is practiced, and where there is no goodness, evil is present instead. To rule with a rod of iron means, symbolically, to do so by means of the truths in the Word's literal sense, and at the same time by rational considerations drawn from people's natural sight, as may be seen in no. 148 above.